TEHRAN (Press Shia) – Deputy Chief of Iran's Army for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari hailed the country’s growing military ties with neighboring Pakistan and called for joint drills between the armed forces of the two nations.

Speaking at a meeting with Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi in Tehran on Tuesday, Rear Admiral Sayyari said Iran and Pakistan share many historical and religious commonalities.

He further emphasized that the two countries can boost cooperation in various fields, including border security, and stage joint ground, aerial, and maritime drills.

The Pakistani navy commander, for his part, said Islamabad believes that the level of its bilateral relations with Tehran should be elevated.

The Iranian and Pakistani navies have held several joint drills in recent years.

A Pakistani flotilla comprising Navy ships Tippu Sultan and PNS Jurrat and a chopper and the Iranian Navy’s Jamaran Destroyer as well as a missile-launching frigate and a helicopter took part in joint naval exercises near southern Iranian waters in March 2017.